VOICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE MAJORITY

A Democratic Majority Representing  Rockland’s Entirety

BY LEGISLATOR ALDEN H. WOLFE

(D – Montebello)

Chair, Rockland County Legislature

alden_wolfeEarlier this year, the Rockland County Legislature held its reorganization meeting, in which the recently elected and re-elected Legislators from 17 districts representing every county resident were sworn in. Legislators represent every town, every community, and every political persuasion.

While some may be interested in highlighting our differences, as the Chairman of the Legislature, I take great pride in the way Democrats and Republicans work together. That cooperation, which exists far more often than not, is steeped in a great tradition of leadership that goes back almost fifty years – to the very first assembly of the Rockland County Legislature.

While Democrats have the majority in the Legislature, let there be no doubt that we believe – as Rocklanders first and Democrats second – that we are here to work with every Legislator and serve every resident.

Our County government cannot succeed by sounding the trumpet of alarm for pettiness and personal attacks; we must all instead listen to the clarion call of purpose and principles. I know I speak for the Legislative Majority when I say that our purpose is to run a County government that delivers the valuable services every resident has come to rely on, and our principles are to do so in the most cost-effective and transparent manner possible.

Taxpayers have a right to know exactly how their money is being spent, and in the coming days, the Legislature will take the lead on that issue in County government by unveiling an in-depth analysis of just that. When it comes to day-to-day expenditures, our residents deserve to know how government is providing them with the best bang for their buck, and when the need for sudden expenditures arises, the public must be informed why that need exists, and exactly how much that’s going to cost them.

Whether you are a Legislator or a taxpayer, you are a partner in the work that County government does every day, and you deserve real solutions and real results. That means a true safeguarding of taxpayer dollars, and long-term financial planning such as the multi-year budgeting law passed by the Legislature some years ago. Slogans and logos will not pay off our deficit or reduce your tax burden; concrete financial solutions that we adopt with the public input will.

I look forward to communicating even more of what we do at the Legislature to the residents of our great County, and will continue to work to build a more transparent and honest County government deserving of your trust.

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